Special edition: Prime Minister's Science Prizes 2022

Meet the winners of the 2022 Prime Minister's Science Prizes! We go behind the scenes with the Emerging Scientist, Science Teacher and Future Scientist winners to learn about cutting-edge research, inspiring teaching and intriguing mahi worthy of these prestigious awards.

It's time for the Prime Minister's Science Prizes!

Every year, five prizes are awarded to emerging and established researchers, science communicators and educators at the top of their game.

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The main prize, Te Puiaki Pūtaiao Matua a Te Pirimia, was awarded to the multidisciplinary National Institute for Stroke and Applied Neurosciences at Auckland University of Technology.

Led by Professor Valery Feigin, the team has done extensive investigations into stroke incidences and burden worldwide.

Now they are focused on developing the most cost effective, widely applicable strategies to reduce stroke incidences, including a free mobile app called Stroke Riskometer aimed at helping people lower their individual stroke risk.

Congratulations also to Associate Professor Dianne Sika-Paotonu, who won Te Puiaki Whakapā Pūtaiao - The Prime Minister's Science Communication Prize. Based at the University of Otago, Wellington, Dianne is an immunologist and biomedical scientist. The focus of her mahi is on addressing health inequities that exist for Pacific and Māori communities, through research that is grounded in respectful and inclusive engagement with these communities.

She was a key science communicator during the Covid-19 pandemic, and a strong proponent for Pacific and Māori researchers and health professionals to be given the opportunity to lead and make decisions for their communities.

On this week's Our Changing World we meet the other three prize-winners and learn a bit more about their award-winning mahi.

Te Puiaki Kaipūtaiao Maea / The Prime Minister's MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize - Associate Professor Jonathan Tonkin

Dr Jonathan Tonkin began his research career sloshing through rivers in Tongariro National Park when he studied benthic invertebrates for his PhD. Today he has mostly hung up his waders.

Now, from his office in the School of Biological Sciences at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, the University of Canterbury, Jonathan has a new key role: mentoring the large number of students and scientists that form his research group. Their research focus is on creating models to forecast how different communities of organisms will respond to environmental threats. …

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details